This invention relates to program guide systems, and more particularly, to techniques for notifying a user of television programs.
Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program listings to determine which programs were scheduled to be broadcast on a particular day and at a particular time. developed.
Recent technological advances have allowed more convenient and advanced program guide services to be developed. For example, passive television-based program guides have been developed that allow television viewers to view television program listings directly on their television sets. In addition, interactive television program guide services have been developed that allow a service provider to deliver television program listings data to a user's local set-top box. An interactive television program guide application in the set-top box allows the user to display television program listings on the user's television set. In known interactive program guide systems, the program listings data made available to a user are limited to a predetermined time frame of program listings.
Users may be interested in programs other than the programs in the available time frame of program listings. Such so-called non-frame television programs are those television programs which are outside the current display time frame. In contrast, in-frame television programs are those television programs which are inside the current display time frame. The current display frame for program guides is typically about two weeks or less, which is limited by the size of the program guide database that is maintained by the program guide. The frame can also be limited by the bandwidth for the distribution of the data and limited by the ability to collect accurate data (e.g., collected listings which are farther out in time can be less accurate). As an example of the category of non-frame television programs, consider movies presently showing in movie theaters but soon to be released on pay-per-view cable. Because cable customers are not provided with information that lets them know that the movie they are planing to see at the local movie theater will be available shortly on cable, cable companies stand to lose revenue to movie theaters. Similar problems exist for televised sporting events and the like.
Thus, users are still faced with the problem of tracking television programs that they desire to watch but which have not yet been scheduled (i.e., non-frame television programs).
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a way to notify users of upcoming television programs.